Troubleshooting Driver Side Brake Assembly Getting Hot Than Other Side After Installing New Brakes

Question

Question:

I just installed new Dexter drum brakes on my camper. My driver side brake heats up much higher, even though I have adjusted both brakes to the same number of revolutions before the stop turning. I even drove the camper without any electrical connection to it safely of course and it still happened? Also both wheels roller bearings are adjusted to the same amount of play. Any ideas as to the cause?

asked by: Roger G

0

Expert Reply:

Based on your description of the issue you are having, it sounds like you might have the brake adjusted too tightly on the driver side.

To make sure that the Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Kit # 23-47-48 you installed on your camper are adjusted correctly, you will want to loosen the adjuster until you do not hear the pad contacting the drum, and then tighten the adjuster until you hear the pad contacting the drum consistently while spinning the wheel, but making sure that the wheel still spins freely.

If you do that and still have the same issue, I recommend making sure that the castle nut is not over tightened. To install the castle nut our installers recommend tightening it down enough to make sure the drum is fully seated on the spindle, and then loosening it. You will then hand tighten the castle nut, and tighten roughly 1/4 turn with a socket.

expert reply by: Samuel C

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Answer 1

Since you have checked out your trailer's hydraulic lines and confirmed the brakes are in good shape, the cause for the heat in your one drum could come from something else. If only one of your drums gets hot when you tow it could be that…

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Answer 2

According to our FAQ on slipper springs, linked for referenced, the torque specs are as follows: Torque Ratings 1/2 inch Bolts: 45 ft/lbs - 70 ft/lbs 9/16 inch Bolts: 65 ft/lbs - 95 ft/lbs 5/8 inch Bolts: 100 ft/lbs - 120 ft/lbs The Replacement…

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Answer 3

After you've packed the bearings and assembled everything, carefully slide the hub assembly onto the spindle and install the outer bearing. Install the spindle and tang washer and run the spindle nut down finger tight, then rotate the hub back…

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Answer 4

Trailer breakaway batteries are usually rated for 5-amp-hours and are designed to keep your four brake assemblies engaged for 15-minutes in the event of an accidental disconnect. The only way the breakaway battery could heat up your drums is if it…

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Answer 5

Hubs will heat up when driving, but if it feels like they are getting too hot, then you will want to look at a few things on your hub. My guess is that the spindle nut is too tight and the added stress on the bearings is overheating the bearings and…

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Answer 6

There is no specific torque rating for the castle nut that holds your hub in place. We recommend tightening the castle nut down until it stops, and then backing it off to the next notch wheel the tang washer will fit into the castle nut. Over…

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Answer 7

Yes, the temperatures you mentioned are normal. If you were getting over 200 degrees that would be a bad sign. But typically if all of the hubs are the same temperature you're good and it's only really an issue if one of the hubs is hotter…

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Answer 8

I would recommend completely ruling out the bearings by closely examining them and the spindle for discoloration caused by overheating. If you have determined that it is the brakes that are hot, and not the hub itself, I would recommend readjusting…

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Answer 9

It does sound like there is a short on your trailer. If the brakes locked up and the brake controller unit got very warm it sounds like there is a short on the trailer's 12V power circuit that is causing the electric brakes to lock up. It is…

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Answer 10

Yes that is correct, the bow will always face forward on electric drum brakes. The magnet will be on the bottom and the arm that the magnet is attached to will bow towards the front. Also the shorter brake pad will always be in the front of the…

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Answer 11

The first thing to check is the connectors to make sure there is no corrosion present. That can cause a variety of problems. If that checks out you will need to do some other testing. You can sever the blue wire about 4 to 6 inches from the back of…

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Answer 12

I have a suspicion about what might be causing the problem you mention. Do your trucks have 6-way trailer connectors? Or, do the trucks have 7-way connectors, but you are using a 6-way to 7-way adapters because the trailers use 6-way connectors?…

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Troubleshooting Driver Side Brake Assembly Getting Hot Than Other Side After Installing New Brakes

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